United We Stand
by ShadowPhantom14
Summary: AU - Sonic, Amy & Tails are members of the resistance against Dr. Robotnik. When a mission goes wrong, only one thing can bring the Robotnik Empire down. The Chaos Emeralds. But they are just an old legend, right?
1. The Lost Prologue

There are many different worlds out there, everyone knows that. But there are also different dimensions, which together make up the multi-verse. Someone who is key to the survival of their world always has parallel versions of themselves in the other dimensions, for there is no "true" version. All versions are just as important to keep balance.

You are bound to know of the famous Sonic the Hedgehog, are you not? He is one of these key people. You know Sonic's story. At least you think you do. The story you know is only the story of one version of this hero. Perhaps you know conflicting stories for him that do not make sense when compared to one and other? All different versions.

One version fights Dr. Eggman to keep the mad scientist from taking over the Earth, with the help of his friends by his side. Tails, Knuckles and Amy are among them.

Another version is a Freedom Fighter along with his best friend Sally Acorn and her team of rebels. They fight against the evil Dr. Robotnik who has taken over their home planet of Mobius.

Yet another version fights Dr. Robotnik along with his brother and sister, all the while searching for their missing mother, the queen of Mobius.

Still another version started out as a simple hedgehog, but through an accident in Dr. Kintobor's lab, he became a hero, and the nice Doctor a villain.

I'm about to show you the story of another version of Sonic. A version you have likely not seen nor heard of before. Be wary, his story is not for the faint of heart. But if you are certain, then let us delve deeper, into the story of Sonic the Hedgehog as you've never seen it before.


	2. True Blue

"Try to reach inside of me, try to take my energy! Let me show you just what I'm made of now!" The hedgehog finished his song and put down the electric guitar. He didn't get to practice very often, but he was a great singer (despite the problem he now had with his voice), and the trio made a great team.

Turning to the fox cub beside him he asked, "How was that Tails?" The fox, apparently named Tails, put down the drumsticks he was using and hopped off the seat. "That was awesome! How did you get such clear sound through that old amp Sonic?"

The hedgehog shrugged. "Cybernetics reacting with electronics? At least, that's what you always say." Sonic had said cybernetics. His own cybernetics. He didn't like them, but he was stuck with them. His voice included. He sounded as if he was speaking through a voice synthesizer.

The third member of their trio, a pink hedgehog , said, "Doesn't matter! You sounded wonderful! I wish I could get such clear quality with my keyboard." Tails smiled at her. "It won't be hard. We'll figure out a way."

Sonic turned to the other two and said, "Listen, guys, I need to be alone for a while, okay?" He turned and walked off the abandoned stage where they had been practicing and kept going until he reached the edge of the old town.

He sat down on a curb and looked at the slowly setting sun, not caring that it was getting late. He'd been sulking a lot lately, so Tails and Amy were used to it. He wasn't though. His problem was his robotic half. He would do anything short of betraying the Resistance to get rid of it.

Sonic sighed and thought back to the day it had happened. He had met Tails two weeks before then and they had become fast friends, Sonic even taking to calling the kit his little brother.

_Sonic ran ahead and slid under another security laser while Tails followed, weaving through the air to avoid them. They reached the door and Sonic handed Tails the bomb. Another one of Robotnik's factories was about to go down. The fox took it and Sonic spindashed the door open. He would serve as a distraction to whatever robots were inside while Tails planted the bomb. Then they would run for cover as the place blew sky high._

_The unexpected happened though and they weren't prepared. Robotnik himself was inside and he obviously had been waiting for them. He seized Tails and ran for the roboticizer, but Sonic launched himself at the mad doctor, knocking Tails out of his grasp. Unfortunately, this put him directly between the doc and the machine. Robotnik shoved him into it and turned it on._

_Tails, doing what his brother would've wanted, planted the bomb and ran. Sonic knew this because heard the explosion and he knew Tails would be smart enough to get away before it blew._

_Searing pain, blinding pain, coursed through his body as the roboticizer continued the proccess, but then the bomb went off and the machine stopped. Had the explosion severed a cord or something? Sonic knew he was alive, but he couldn't tell if he was a robot or not. He was able to think horrible thoughts about Robotnik, so the mind-control chip hadn't been implanted in him yet. _

_There was a rattling outside and the sound of a bag being picked up. Had Tails come back for his satchel? The pain had stopped for the moment, but since the roboticizer was a metal tube, he couldn't see a thing. He banged on the inside of the tube, hoping to get the attention of whoever was there. There was a thud, as if the person had dropped the bag in surprise._

_Footsteps echoed on the remains of the metal floor and Sonic banged on the tube again. There was the sound of gears turning and the tube opened to reveal Tails, a horrified look on his face. Sonic gave a weak smile, took one step out and fell down, the world going black._

_When he finally came to he was in the same place he had fallen at. Sitting up slowly he saw Tails sitting nearby, his expression betraying his feelings. He was scared and didn't know what to think. Putting a hand to his head, Sonic heard a mettalic clank. Confused, he looked at his hand and gasped. All the way up to his elbow was cybernetics. Same with his other arm. Looking at his legs he saw that they were completely robotic. A few tears formed at the corners of his eyes. Would he ever run at the same speeds again?_

_Seeing his worried expression and the one tear that fell, Tails knew Sonic was still Sonic. Walking over to him slowly, he kneeled down and asked, "Sonic?" Sonic put his hand to his chest and nodded, not trusting himself to speak. Roboticized people tended to have their voices replaced. That was when he noticed that his chest was robotic too. It had a red light in the center, probably where his heart had once been._

_Tails' voice had echoed in his ears. Why was that? The walls were gone. Putting his hand to his head again he realized part of his head was robotic. His top row of quills, continuing all the way to his ears which were now robotic as well. Tails helped him stand up so he wouldn't fall over. "Sonic? Come on, say something. Please?"_

"_Tails, I-" Sonic quickly shut his mouth, not wanting to say any more. His voice now had a mettalic tone to it, as if someone had put it through a vocal synthesizer. Despite his new appearance and voice his little brother's tears stopped and the kit hugged him as hard as he could._

_Tails then noticed that his big brother's hands and feet were bare cybernetics. Sonic's shoes and gloves must have fallen off in the scuffle. He pulled of his gloves and handed them to Sonic. "You can use my gloves for now. I'll make you some shoes that look like your old ones. Come on, let's head back to base."_

Sonic looked down at his shoes. They looked just like his old ones; red, grey soles, thick white stripes across the middle and a gold buckle on the outside of each. Tails had made them frictionless, so Sonic was able to run pretty fast. He was still the fastest thing alive, but before the accident he had been able to break the sound barrier on foot. 750 miles per hour had been easy for him. No sweat. Now, the most he could hit was 400mph, even with the help of his new shoes. If he tried to run any faster the cybernetics in his legs would give out and he would collapse.

Sonic stood up and walked back to the stage feeling a bit better after having some time alone to think. After all, it had only been two months since the accident. When he arrived back on stage the instruments were gone, probably packed back into the van.

Tails waved when he saw him show up. Amy smiled and said, "We need a name for our band." Sonic gave her a strange look. "Uh, you do remember the band is just a cover for our Resistance group, right?" Amy shrugged. "Yeah, but we still practice a lot, so it must mean something to you guys. We need a name."

Tails stayed quiet for a moment before suggesting, "Triple Threat?" Amy replied with "Hmm, I like Complete Trinity." Sonic offered his idea of calling themselves Several Wills. After everyone giving a few more ideas, Sonic then said, "How about Live and Learn?"

Tails and Amy smiled and nodded. Sonic high-fived them both. "All right, Live and Learn it is. We should get back to the van and check the reports." They did so, and after skimming through the pages of what other Resistance members had reported, Amy found out that Dr. Robotnik was going after the citizens of Sandblast City in three days. Tails climbed into the driver's seat, Amy in the passenger's, and Sonic hung out in the back of the van. With a "Let's move!" from Sonic, the gang was off.


	3. Fortune Fades Like Words in the Sand

"Are we there yet?" Sonic asked from the back of the van. He always hated long road trips unless he was out running alongside the car. Amy sighed and turned around in her seat. "We'll be at Sandblast City in a few hours. If you don't want to wait, get out and run there."

Sonic simply gave her a sour look and went back to his handheld video game. Strangely, he wasn't pressing any buttons yet he was winning. Amy frowned. "How are you doing that?" He smirked. "There are some advantages to being half roboticized. Wirelessly controlling video games is one of them."

Amy shook her head and went back to looking out the window. Sonic was actually quite nervous about going to Sandblast. He knew it was necessary if they wanted to keep Robotnik from gaining control of another town, but he hadn't been there since before the accident. How would they react?

He had met Amy the first time he had gone. He had known Tails for a week, then he met Amy, just another week before the accident. Amy had found out about the accident afterwards though because she had been on a reconnaissance mission in Emerald Hill at the time.

"_So, this is your home base?" Tails asked the girl who was showing them around. He and Sonic had been travelling around, trying to meet the leaders of the main Resistance groups. The cat nodded. "Yes, we here in Sandblast take refuge in being far from most towns. Robotnik doesn't think to look here often. Especially since the princess is hiding here."_

_Tails gave the cat a surprised look. "Princess? The daughter of Queen Aleena is here?" The cat nodded again. "I'll take you to see her. By the way, my name is Blaze." The duo followed Blaze over to a small tent, all the while Sonic was thinking about how familiar the name Aleena sounded. He knew Aleena was the queen of Mobius, and that she had had twins. Two hedgehogs. They had gone missing after Robotnik took over. _

_But he also knew that when he was a child he had seen her. Why, he didn't know. He only knew that he had a memory of her majesty smiling at him when he was very little. He had meant to ask his father about it, but Jules had been killed in a raid when Sonic was five. Since then he had been alone until he met Tails. Tails was like family._

_Blaze poked her head into the tent and said, "We've got visitors, Amy. Resistance members." She came back out and held open the tent flap for Sonic and Tails. They walked inside and found a pink hedgehog looking over a map. She looked up at the two visitors and smiled. "Hello, I'm Amy. You both look like you're from Robotropolis."_

_Tails nodded and bowed. Amy laughed. "I'm a Resistance member, the same as you. Forget formalities." She turned to Sonic and stared. "You look very familiar." Sonic was thinking the same thing. When he was little, about the same time he had the memory of meeting the queen, he had seen a pink hedgehog. He didn't remember her name though._

"_Anyway, I assume you're here to meet the group leaders? Blaze is in charge here. I just stay because Sandblast is out of the way and hard to find." Amy explained. Sonic walked up to the map and saw the writing on it. "If you wanna get to the Mystic Ruins you should take the route through the Great Forest. It's quicker than crossing Wave Ocean."_

_Amy looked at him in surprise. "Thank you. I thought the only person who knew so much about maps was my father." Sonic shrugged. "My dad taught me a lot." Amy sighed. "You are lucky you knew your father. Mine died when I was little. Robotnik's fault. I never got to know him."_

_Sonic put his hand on her shoulder. "Mine died when I was little too. He was in the middle of-" "A raid. He was in the middle of a raid when Robotnik got him." Amy finished for him, realizing something. "What was your father's name?" she asked. Sonic replied, "Jules. Never knew my mom's name. Started with an A, that's all I know."_

_Amy grinned. "My father's name was Jules. That means your mother's name was Aleena." Tails gasped and said, "You're the missing twin Sonic!" Sonic looked surprised. That was how he knew Aleena. That meant he was Amy's brother, and royalty to boot._

_Tails frowned. "You found your family Sonic, but what about mine?" Sonic walked over to Tails and hugged him. "Royalty can go spindash into a ditch for all I care. You're still my family Tails. You're still my little brother. Now and forever."_

_Amy looked a little hurt. "You want me to spindash into a ditch?" Sonic looked surprised. That wasn't what he had meant at all. "What? No! I meant I don't care about royal duties or anything like that. Resistance members are Resistance members. Nobody is more special than anyone else. There is no royalty among the rebellion."_

The trio had been together ever since, treating eachother like friends, and Sonic and Tails like family. Sonic and Amy would sometimes acknowlege the fact that they were related, but most of the time they simply acted like good friends.

The van lurched and came to a stop. "We're here!" Tails shouted so Sonic would hear. The trio left the van and spotted a familiar cat waving to them, her purple coat blowing with the wind. "You're here! Oh, thank you!"

"We got reports that Robotnik is coming. Any idea why?" Tails asked. Blaze nodded. "Sandblast City is known for its glass. The best in Mobius. Dr. Robotnik is making a mind-control beam and he needs our glass to finish it."

Tails immediately said, "We'll help you hide the glass and fight when Robotnik comes for it." Blaze smiled. "Thank you." Amy came up and hugged the cat. Old friends seeing eachother after a few months was always a nice sight.

"It's wonderful to see you again Amy. Oh, we must hurry. We only have two days before he comes." Blaze said before grabbing Amy's arm to drag her off. Tails followed. Sonic did too but he tried to stay out of sight. He had seen the rest of the Resistance react to his condition, and he didn't want to see the Sandblast team react the same way.

Realizing there was a member missing from the trio, Blaze stopped and turned around. "Amy, Tails, where is Sonic?" When Tails didn't answer, Blaze looked horrified. "The rumors are true then? He is dead?" Tails raised his eyebrows in surprise. "What? No! He just doesn't want you guys to react the same way the rest of the Resistance did. At least, that's what he told me on the trip here."

Blaze looked confused. "Is he okay? How did the rest of the Resistance react?" Amy sighed. "They accused him of being a traitor. They still think he is. I think if you promise to believe he's not a traitor he might come out. Right Sonic?"

There was beeping noise from behind a cactus and a robotic voice said, "Maybe. Will she believe me?" Blaze walked over to the other side of the cactus and put her hand to her mouth to keep herself from gasping. "Sonic? Is that really you?"

Sonic nodded. "Like Amy said, I'm not a traitor. I didn't choose to do this. And when Robotnik comes, I'm gonna kick his fat behind into next week!" Blaze patted his shoulder and said, "I believe you. I'll tell the rest of the city not to shoot at you."

"Come on! We've gotta hurry!" Tails started shooing the group toward the city. They arrived and after a quick announcement by Blaze all the blasters pointed at Sonic fell to the ground with an apology from their owners. Out of all the groups in the Resistance, only one believed his story.

A squirrel girl in a blue vest and boots stepped forward and said, "I suggest we hide the glass in the Dune Caves." Blaze turned to the girl and said, "That's a good idea Sally. We'll hide it there."

It didn't take them long to get to the Dune Caves. Tails had cleared the sand out of the entrance by using his tails like a fan. Sally, Blaze and several other villagers helped to move the glass. They had gotten half of it in, when there was a strange sound coming from above.

Everyone looked up to see one of Robotnik's drones scanning the city. "Stay quiet. It hasn't noticed us yet." Blaze whispered. That was when the drone turned toward the caves. "I spoke too soon."

It flew over to the caves, a magnet attached to it. "Has Robotnik lost it?" Sally asked. "A magnet won't help him get the glass." Tails immediately knew what the drone wanted. "I don't think he's after the glass yet." That was when his brother was pulled out of the cave by an invisible force. Sometimes cybernetics came in handy, and other times they were a horrible curse.


	4. It Has Come to This

The magnet had managed to pull him out into the open, but Sonic was fighting it with all his might. His legs were a blur of silver, red and white as he ran as fast as he could. 380mph and counting, yet he was still getting pulled backwards.

He hit 400 and even though he knew the consequences, there was no way Robotnik was getting him without a fight. 410mph and his legs gave out. He collapsed on the ground, unable to stand up, and still getting pulled further along the sand. He hated being so weak, but there was nothing he could do about it. "Help!"

That was when the drone exploded in a ball of flame. "Huh?" Looking back at the caves he saw Tails and Amy with a worried expression and Blaze with a fireball in her hand. Letting the flame dissipate she ran out to Sonic, the rest of the group following.

Blaze helped him up while Tails hugged him. "I thought we'd lose you! I would've flown up and got rid of it, but Blaze said it had a hidden camera. So she blew it up from far away." He explained. Sonic smiled. "It's ok. As long as it didn't grab you."

Sally crossed her arms. "Well, we got rid of it, but now Robotnik knows Sonic isn't the only one here." Blaze sighed. "I know, but it was either that or let him get captured. We had to take the risk." Sonic shook his head. "No you didn't. As long as it didn't get you guys, I'd gladly sacrifice myself. He'd never get me to talk."

Sally gave him a sad smile. "You've always been a Resistance member at heart, and you're one of the best. But look at you. Robotnik could easily tap into your head. All he'd need is a cable and a computer. He's got both."

Realization hit Sonic and it hit him hard. "I'm useless, that's what I am. Ever since the accident I've caused nothing but trouble for everyone around me." Amy smiled at him. "You're my brother. You're never useless. Only annoying sometimes."

Sally laughed at Amy's remark before stating, "Robotnik knows there are people here. He's coming tomorrow. We've hidden the glass, so now all we've got to do is wait. Right Blaze?" The cat nodded. "Well, we've got time to spare. I've heard you guys play well. Wanna give us a performance?"

Sonic grinned like he hadn't in months. Music was the one thing he could still do well, despite his voice sounding like a robot was singing along in the background. "All right, just so long as Tails repairs my legs. I can't stand without help."

Twenty minutes later the trio was on a makeshift stage. Tails had managed to fix his legs, but they would still give out if he ran that fast again. Blaze and Sally had managed to gather the entire town for the concert, but since they didn't have a stage they had placed a large wooden board atop a sturdy sand dune, thus creating a makeshift stage floor.

The audience cheered as Sonic, Tails and Amy decided to play one of their more well-known tunes. Sonic picked up his electric guitar and said, "Citizens of Sandblast, Live and Learn gives you our most famous song. Enjoy." The trio started to play, and Sonic started to sing.

"All the steps we take, all the moves we make, all the pain at stake.  
I see the chaos for everyone. Who are we, what can we do?  
You and I are the same in the way that we have our own styles that we won't change.  
Yours is filled with evil and mine is not. There is no way I can lose!

Can't hold on much longer, but I will never let go!  
I know it's a one way track, tell me now how long this will last!  
I'm not gonna think this way, nor will I count on others.  
Close my eyes and feel it burn. Now I see what I've gotta do.

**Open your heart it's gonna be all right!**"

The town cheered and the trio took a bow. That was how it usually went. Live and Learn was their new band name, and they came up with their songs when they had time. Usually between missions.

"_Okay, if we wanna make our cover believable, we've gotta have something to perform. We can come up with a name later." Tails explained. Sonic immediately belted out, "I'm not gonna think this way, nor will I count on others. Close my eyes and feel it burn. Now I see what I've gotta do._ _Open your heart it's gonna be all right!" _

_Tails looked surprised for a moment, but then clapped along with Amy. "When did you come up with that?" Sonic smiled. "I've had it in my head for a while. You guys can help me finish it."_

_They finished it together, and then they began to work on other songs every chance they got. The band wasn't just a cover, it was part of their life. They came up with lots of songs. Open Your Heart was their first, but they also had What I'm Made of, Dreams of an Absolution, and Live and Learn._

"_Hey Tails?" Tails turned to face his brother. "Yeah Sonic?" Sonic smiled and said, "I've got something for you." When Tails asked where it was, Sonic had to explain that it wasn't an object. Tails gave him a confused look._

"_I wanna fly high, so I can reach the highest of all of the heavens.  
Somebody will be waiting for me, so I have got to fly higher.  
I've gotta keep going, everything is a brand new challenge for me,  
and I will believe.  
I will believe in myself, this is the only start for me."_

_Tails smiled and tried to keep the tears back as he hugged his brother. Sonic had gone to all the trouble of coming up with an entire song for Tails. "Glad you like it lil' bro."_

Sonic smiled and took a bow but the audience wanted another song. He laughed. "Tails, Amy, how about we give them our namesake?" Technically they had named the song after their band, not the other way around, but they still called it their namesake. The hedgehog and fox nodded and started playing.

"Live and learn, hanging on the edge of tomorrow.  
Live and learn, from the words of yesterday.  
Live and learn, if you beg or if you borrow,  
Live and learn, you may never find your way.

There's a face searching far, so far and wide.  
There's a place where you dream you'd never find.  
Hold on to what if.  
Hold on to what if!"

They took a bow once more before Blaze calmed the group down so they didn't have to do another one. They took a rest and slept through the night in spare tents Sally had found for them, Sonic waking up in a cold sweat several times.

He still had nightmares of the accident every now and again. The more he thought about the event, the more desensitized he became toward it. Talking about it in front of him did nothing but make him a bit upset. But in the dark of the night when anything could happen, his mind always pictured Robotnik sneaking up, grabbing him and making him fully robotic. It was enough to scare anyone.

Fortunately he had forgotten about it by morning. Unfortunately what had taken his mind off it was even worse. "It's gone. Just, gone. How? Don't you guys have people on guard duty?"

"Yes. I guess we just didn't expect him to come early, and at night." Blaze explained. Sally put her head in her hands. "It's my fault. All my fault. I'm the one who fell asleep on the job." Tails gave her a sympathetic look and held her close. "It's okay Sally. It happens. No one could've seen it coming."

Sally wiped her eyes, smiled and hugged Tails. "Thanks. You're sweet." Robotnik had come and gone during the night and taken the glass. Now his device would be complete.

"If he activates his machine, the entire planet will become enslaved to him!" Sally pointed out. Blaze looked around the group and said solemnly, "His machine uses Sandblast glass, and is powered by the energy of power rings. I only know of one thing that can negate the power of his device. "

Everyone looked at her hopefully, hoping the solution was an easy one. No one expected her answer. "The Chaos Emeralds." Everyone looked surprised and Amy pointed out, "But the emeralds are just an old legend."

Blaze shook her head. "The Chaos Emeralds are kept on the Floating Island, where the spirits of two echidnas guard them." Amy hung her head. "That's just an old legend. I already said that." Blaze sighed. "The Floating Island has been kept secret for so long that everyone thinks it and the emeralds are just legends. They're not. They're real." Sonic's expression was stone-cold when he replied, "I'm going."


	5. Diamond in the Sky

"What? But you can't! Blaze, tell them!" Sally cried out. She apparently thought Sonic's decision was a crazy one. "We don't even know if the emeralds are real or not. I mean, Blaze says they're real, but we don't know for sure. Even if they are, we have no idea how to find the Floating Island."

Sonic looked around the group, his face expressionless. "We have one chance. One chance to take down Robotnik. One chance to save our world. One chance to stop everyone we care about from becoming mindless slaves to the Robotnik Empire. Would you really have me not take that chance?"

The group was silent. Sonic crossed his arms. "That's what I thought. Now, I need all the info you've got on the location of the Floating Island." Blaze spoke up first. "Legends tell that the Floating Island travels the world, floating high above the clouds."

Sally added, "It supposedly crosses over Never Lake once a year. Never Lake is near Mercia, and the residents there are always saying they see something in the sky every summer." A young mongoose stepped forward and said, "My parents were avid believers in the old legends. According to them, the Floating Island should be above Green Hill Zone right now." Blaze smiled and told her, "Thank you Mina. Did they have a calendar logging where the island was? Some people do that." The mongoose, apparently named Mina, smiled and nodded. "They were always keeping track of where it was. I never cared."

"Even in the van, it'll take at least three days to reach Green Hill from here." Amy pointed out. "How long do we have?" Mina, Blaze and Sally talked it over for a moment before saying simultaneously, "A week at most." Sonic shut his eyes in frustration. A week wasn't very long. "Then let's go now. The sooner we leave the better."

Amy ran to the van and hopped inside, waiting for Sonic and Tails. Sally ran back to her tent and came out with a small bag. She handed it to Tails and said, "Take this. And please be careful." Sonic smiled. Twelve years old and he already had a girl after him, even if he didn't know it yet.

Tails nodded and took the bag, opening it to reveal a pair of anklets that would go on his shoes. The note said they would help him fly faster. Apparently they were called 'jet anklets'. Tails smiled. "Thank you." He then headed over to the fan and got into the driver's seat. Sonic got in after them and they drove off.

The three-day trip was filled with mostly avoiding spy-bots and Sonic asking if they were there yet. Sonic asked this once more when he was surprised by his brother's answer. They had arrived. He peered out the van's window and smiled. He'd always wanted to visit Green Hill Zone. It was one of the few places left that Robotnik hadn't gotten to, and it was a stark contrast from Robotropolis.

Tails set up the high-powered telescope atop the van and they waited for it to catch a glimpse of anything resembling an island in the sky. Several residents shot at Sonic the minute he stepped out of the van and into their sight, so he was forced to hide in the vehicle. Not so fun.

An hour later Tails called out that the scope had found something on the infrared scanner. A central energy source above the clouds. Amy had said that it was probably the sun, but Tails pointed out that it was moving, albeit very slowly. The sun on the other hand didn't move.

"If I use the anklets Sally gave me I can make it up there. I can only carry one person though." Tails explained. Amy put her arm around the fox's shoulder. "You can carry me." The kit frowned. "But what about Sonic?"

The hedgehog smirked. "I can fly. Remember? Thanks to you." "Oh yeah." Tails replied. He locked up the van and grabbed Amy under the arms. He started spinning his tails and took off into the air. He then activated his jet anklets. A small jet sprouted from the back of each and he flew even higher.

Sonic then shut his eyes and concentrated. His chest was robotic so that meant the two spines on his back were too. His robotic spines started to reconfigure themselves into rocket boosters. Tails had installed the program into him a month ago in case for some reason the fox couldn't carry him. He soared up to Tails and Amy and they made their way up to whatever the scope had spotted.

Ten minutes later they saw it. A floating land mass, surrounded by fog and barely visible through the thick clouds. Amy gasped. "It's real?" Sonic laughed. "Race ya there!" he challenged before speeding off. Tails groaned and followed, not being able to go as fast as normal because he was carrying Amy.

Moments later they had arrived. Sonic landed and his boosters turned back into robotic spines as Tails landed and set down Amy. "This place is huge! How will we know where to go?" Amy asked. Tails checked his GPS but then remembered the Floating Island wasn't on it. He shrugged. "Explore I guess? We have four days before Robotnik activates his device and where did Sonic go?"

The hedgehog was already a few yards in front of them, staring at the temple. There was some strange energy emanating from within. He didn't know how he could feel it, but he could. It was tugging at him, commanding he follow the pull.

Amy and Tails ran up the temple's steps, gawking at the huge statues. They were most likely sculptures of echidnas, but time had taken its toll on them, the wear and tear clearly visible. "There you are. We're gonna have to explore for a while to find the emeralds." Tails told him. Sonic shook his head. "This way. Don't you feel it?"

Amy gave her brother a confused look. "Feel what?" Tails added, "Yeah, what? The cold air? It's icy up here." Sonic shook his head again, now frustrated. Why was it that only he could feel it? "No, the-I don't how to explain it. This way." He walked up to the temple doors and tried to push them open. No such luck.

Amy tried, then Tails, then all at once. It finally opened when they all pushed at the same time. Within was a maze of tunnels, and torches along the walls. The torches weren't lit, so Tails grabbed some wood and lit one, carrying it as Sonic led the way through the maze, all the while not knowing how he did it.

They had been walking for the better part of an hour when they came across another door. Pushing against it together, they managed to shove it open. Beyond was a large chamber with a long stone table surrounded by rotting wooden chairs.

"Looks like a meeting room." Tails pointed out. Sonic was surprised. "Were they really that advanced?" The kit nodded. Amy pointed to the other side of the table nervously. "There's something over there. It doesn't look like it belongs."

The trio slowly made their way over to the object, which turned out not to be an object after all. It was a living being. Passed out mind you, but living. He was a hedgehog. A black and red hedgehog. His quills were upturned which Sonic found a bit strange, but more curious was how he had gotten there and why he was unconscious.

Their questions might soon be answered though, as the hedgehog was waking up. He sat up slowly, blinking a lot. The moment he saw Sonic he did something impossible. Standing up quickly he held out his left hand as if he was holding a blaster. That's when a blaster appeared in his hand out of nowhere.

"Not this time. Robotnik took everything from me. Everything. I'm not letting him ruin my last chance of bringing her back!" he shouted. He had tears in his eyes and looked slightly crazed. Sonic backed up a step. "Whoa! Take it easy! We're with the Resistance."

The hedgehog looked confused. "You're not one of Robotnik's robots? Then again, you're still half organic." Sonic nodded. "Exactly." The black and red hedgehog still had Sonic at blaster-point. "But you still haven't said what the Resistance is. Start talking."

Amy walked up to him and put her hand on his shoulder. She said calmly, "Put the blaster down. The Resistance is against Robotnik. Sonic's condition was an accident." The hedgehog slowly lowered the blaster before it vanished.

"How are you doing that?" Tails asked. The hedgehog didn't answer. Amy piped in by asking, "What's your name? How did you get here?" He frowned. "My name is Shadow. I got here by searching. Fifteen long years of searching."

"Fifteen years?" Sonic exclaimed. "But you can't be older than sixteen. Right?" Shadow crossed his arms. He didn't seem to talk to anyone except Amy. He turned to Amy and said, "When I look at you I see her. I don't know why, but I do. Robotnik took everything from me. That's why I'm here. To bring her back. My last chance." "Who is this 'she'?" Tails asked. Shadow sighed. From the way he acted he obviously didn't want to talk about it.

"Her name was Maria. She was my life. I was created as part of an experiment. I was never told what that experiment was for. She was my creator's granddaughter. We were best friends. On her twelfth birthday Robotnik took over. We figured we were safe since we lived on a space station. Robotnik found out about the station. He sent his drones up to raid the place. Everyone was killed."

Amy looked horrified, Tails was looking at the floor, and Sonic had his eyes shut. He knew what it was like to lose someone close to you, especially to lose them to Robotnik. Shadow continued, "That was fifteen years ago. I don't age. The Chaos Emeralds are said to be able to turn your thoughts into power. I think about her every night and every day. Maybe they can bring her back."

Sonic opened his eyes and smiled. "We're looking for the emeralds too. We'll help ya. Why were you passed out?" Shadow shrugged. "Strange energy coming from farther in. I reacted with it weirdly I guess."

Sonic grinned. "So you feel it too!" "Feel what?" Tails interjected, quite frustrated now. Sonic and Shadow replied at the same time, "The strange energy in the temple." Amy shook her head in a way that said, 'this is pointless'. "Let's just go." She said before walking down the tunnel at the other end of the meeting room. The others quickly followed.

* * *

**Author's Note:** In several instances in the games, shows and comics I have seen Shadow pull a gun seemingly out of nowhere. Some people have gone with the explanation that he keeps it in his quills. I've gone with a different theory that will be explained in later chapters, if Shadow feels like explaining it. In keeping with the rating however, I've changed all guns to blasters. This actually fits because in Underground their instruments shot lasers, and a couple times in SatAM people are seen with laser guns.

Yes, Tails is twelve in this story. Since Sonic and Amy are twins, Amy can't be twelve like she is in the games, so she is fifteen like Sonic. Two teens and an eight-year-old seemed odd, so I made him twelve. This also makes Sally liking him seem more plausible.


	6. Never Turn Back

"So, how did you get up here if you can't fly?" Amy asked Shadow. The group had been walking through the maze of tunnels for a while now. They had left the meeting room about an hour ago. Amy seemed to be the only one Shadow would open up to, seeing as he wouldn't say much to the others.

The black and red hedgehog gestured toward his shoes. "A lot of upgrading to my hoverskates." Sonic stopped suddenly, and since he was in the front everyone else almost collided into him. "Why are we stopping?" Tails asked.

"The next room. Be on your guard." was all he said, before running up to the next door. This one seemed to open to his touch. He stepped inside and gasped. It was a large circular room, and in the middle was a stone mound. Floating above the mound in what looked like a translucent tube were seven different-colored emeralds.

"Wow!" Tails exclaimed, looking around the room. Amy was gawking at the sight she never thought she'd see. Shadow walked ahead to be next to Sonic. "I've waited so long, and here they are."

Sonic reached out to touch the tube when someone grabbed his hand. It wasn't Shadow however. This person's hand was partially transparent. Following the arm he saw who was stopping him. An echidna. Well, a ghost of an echidna. It was a girl too.

She had a golden headband on with a white tanktop and diamond-patterned skirt, and white sandals. "No-one is allowed to touch the emeralds." She said. Shadow looked surprised and quickly backed up. Amy looked nervous, and from what Sonic could tell Tails was more interested than anything else.

Another ghost appeared, this time a male echidna. His gloves looked like mittens with two spikes on each, and he had a white crescent symbol on his chest. His shoes were red with yellow stripes across the middle and a thick silver buckle on the top of each. "Tikal is right. Step away. How did you get here in the first place?" he asked.

Shadow materialized his blaster again and pointed it at the ghosts, alternating between targets. He had that slightly crazed look from before, which wasn't a good sign. "I didn't come all this way for nothing! I didn't spend fifteen years searching just to leave empty-handed!"

Amy, trying to negate Shadow's attitude so they would make a good impression on the guardians, decided to negotiate. "Please, we need the emeralds. Robotnik is going to enslave the planet and the Chaos Emeralds are the only things that can stop him. Maybe we could do something for you in return?"

The girl echidna, Tikal, turned to her friend. "Knuckles, perhaps we could help? They offer a deal." The boy, apparently called Knuckles, crossed his arms. "That's not our problem, and I don't make deals with strangers."

"They are strangers who need our help." Tikal argued. "I know it has been many centuries, but do you not remember the ways of old? We help those in need." Knuckles gave her an angry look. "And do you not remember to respect your elders? I am older than you."

Tikal frowned, a sad look in her eyes. "I respect my elders, yes. But I also help those in need." She turned to the living group and asked, "How long do you have?" "Four days." Tails answered. Tikal looked to be deep in thought for a moment.

"That is not much time. I will help you." She said. The group smiled and Shadow let his blaster vanish as he regained his calm. Tikal held up her hand as if to say 'wait'. "Hold on. The Chaos Emeralds can turn your thoughts into power, but only if the thought is powerful enough."

Shadow frowned, the crazy look coming back. Amy hugged him and it vanished. "Thank you." He said sheepishly. Tikal continued, "Tell me about this 'Robotnik'." "He's a dictator. He controls most of the planet and roboticizes anyone who gets in his way. He's an evil madman." Sonic explained with disgust.

Tikal frowned. "To do something of that magnitude, you will need many people who wish this with all their heart. Rally your friends at wherever Robotnik stays. Knuckles and I will take the island there and meet up with you."

"You will have to return the emeralds afterwards." Knuckles said from the other side of the room. He didn't look too happy. Tikal ignored him and looked the group up and down. "There are two among you who do not wish this with all your heart. There is something you desire more."

Sonic looked confused. "What? But we all want Robotnik taken down more than anything. What could anyone want more than to take down the Robotnik Empire?" "Even if it is a subconscious desire, two among you long for something else first and foremost."

Everyone asked the guardian at the same time, "Who?" She closed her eyes and pointed. Her first target was Shadow. "You. You long for your friend to be returned to you. She was much more than a friend. She was like a sister to you." Shadow shut his eyes to keep the tears at bay. Tikal conjured an image of Maria, and an image of Robotnik. "Redirect your thoughts. Robotnik is the one who took her from you. Remove him from power first." The mirages vanished.

Her next target was Sonic. "You." she said, her eyes still closed. "You want your body back. You loathe your robotic half. You want to be fully organic again more than anything." Sonic glowed white and his robotics vanished. He gasped and looked himself over, shocked to be back to normal. "Redirect your thoughts. Robotnik is the one who made you this way. Take him down first." The glow vanished and his cybernetics were back, much to his disappointment.

"Now go. You said yourself you have four days. That is not long. Use your time wisely." Tikal said before vanishing. Knuckles frowned at them and vanished too. Amy walked up to the tube containing the emeralds and said, "So we have to gather everyone at Robotnik's fortress and get them to think the same thing? This is gonna be hard."

Tails checked his GPS and said, "If we take some back roads and shortcuts, we can make it there in three days. We'll gather people on the way and tell everyone to tell everyone they know. Use the Resistance networks. I think we can do this."

Everyone agreed and Sonic led them out of the temple, following the energy again, but this time heading to where it was weakest, the exit. They spent an hour finding their way out, but it was nice to see the sunlight again. Inside the temple had been rather dark. Once they reached the edge of the island, Tails grabbed Amy and headed down. Sonic used his rocket boosters again, and Shadow slowed his fall with his hoverskates.

It didn't take long for them to reach the van, although some of the Green Hill residents were rather confused as to where the group had come from. Sonic hid behind Amy and Tails so he wouldn't get shot at as everyone got in the van. Tails grabbed the scope off the roof and stashed it in the back before getting in the driver's seat. Amy took the passenger seat, and Shadow went with Sonic in the back.

Tails activated the Resistance Radio and broadcast a repeating message: 'Gather at Robotnik's headquarters in Robotropolis. The time is now.' As that repeated over and over to every Resistance member on the planet, the gang took off toward Robotropolis.

Sonic showed clear signs of not wanting to go however. Mobotropolis had been home before it was turned into Robotropolis. Even then it had been home. Home held bad memories for him though. It was where his father had been killed.

The raid had been short and swift, and Jules had been killed getting Sonic to safety. Every member of the Resistance had lost something to Robotnik. For Sonic it was his father. For Amy it was her foster parents. For Tails it was his mom and dad. For Shadow it was Maria.

Blaze had once mentioned avenging someone called Silver, and Sally refused to talk about her older brother. Mina, like Tails, had lost both of her parents to the madman. Even if Sonic didn't want to go, he had no choice. It was for the best.

At least, that's what he hoped.

* * *

**Author's Note: **The emerald chamber is based off the one in Sonic the Comic, with some slight differences. In StC, there is no tube protecting the emeralds, they float above a central hole in the room. The basic idea is the same though.


	7. Escape From the City

"Crap." That was never a good sign. Especially when it's the driver who is saying it. Sonic looked a bit panicked as he poked his head into the front of the van, which then lurched to a halt. "Crap what? Why did we stop?"

"The engine is dead." Tails said. Everyone piled out of the vehicle and the fox went to open the hood. He coughed and waved the smoke away before peeking inside and examining it. Shadow and Sonic were watching Tails, but Amy seemed to be staring off into the distance.

"We'll reach Robotropolis in a matter of days, but to get there in time we'll have to pass through Station Square." She said seemingly to no-one. "Robotnik already controls that city. We'll be walking targets."

Tails pulled his head out of the van and reported, "It could take hours to fix." Sonic clenched his fists. This just made things harder. "Hours we don't have. We leave the van." Amy raised an eyeridge in surprise before stating, "We have a week before Robotnik activates his machine. It took three days to reach the Floating Island. We would reach Robotropolis in four days with the van. That's a week. Without the van, we're doomed."

"The Robotropolis Resistance group is supposed to be doing their best to stall him." Tails said. Sonic grabbed Tails by the arm and walked away from the group. "And we're stalling if we stand here talking. Station Square is less than a quarter of a mile away. We'll split up and sneak through. I'll take Tails."

Amy walked over to the only other member and said, "Then I'll go with Shadow." Everyone nodded and took different paths into the city. Sonic had grabbed Tails and ran as fast as he could to the city, not wanting to waste any time. Shadow and Amy were taking the stealth approach. If they came in separately, nobody would think they were together.

XXX

"Swatbots everywhere. We're sure to be spotted." Tails said nervously before ducking back behind the building. Sonic smirked and grabbed the kit's arm again. "Then you're my prisoner." Tails looked scared and tried to pull away. Had Sonic finally given in and gone over to Robotnik's side? Sonic laughed. "Relax. It's a ruse. Pretend I caught you."

Once Tails had realized Sonic wasn't evil, they put their plan into action. Sonic tied Tails' wrists together loosely behind his back and walked up to one of the swatbots. Making the robotic tone in his voice clearer than usual he said, "High priority Resistance member captured. Requesting private transport to master Robotnik." His cybernetics and voice made it all the more convincing.

The swatbot turned to face the duo and replied, "Identification number required first." Sonic shut his eyes and searched his processor. Robotnik embedded ID numbers in the programming of every robot and roboticized citizen, so he was bound to have one.

"Identification number S06T23H91. Requesting private transport." The bot scanned Sonic and said, "Private transport granted. Head to terminal." Sonic nodded and pulled Tails back to the building they had been hiding behind earlier.

"Where's the terminal?" Tails pulled out a holographic map of the city and pointed to a place a few blocks from where they were currently situated. "Bots patrol the roads, so I'll have to be your prisoner again. Any citizens should be on their way to Robotropolis by now, so the city should be mostly empty."

"Good. Let's go." Sonic said, grabbing Tails and hanging the rope around his wrists again. "Just for appearances." They pair stepped out from behind the building and made their way to the terminal without any trouble. "This used to be the train terminal didn't it? Megalo Station." Tails nodded and they stepped aboard the train. That was when the trouble started.

XXX

"It's gone." Amy looked up at Shadow and smiled. "Good." She stood up and peeked out to make sure the swatbot was gone. He was right. The only bot there now was a street cleaner. "Then we go together. Have your blaster ready. They shoot on sight if they recognize you."

Shadow nodded and materialized his blaster. Amy looked at him in confusion and asked, "Seriously, how do you do that?" Shadow shook his head. "I'll explain later. Let's go." They stepped out into the street and were almost seen by the street cleaner before they ducked into an alleyway.

"That's a lot of robots. I don't think I've ever seen so many. Well, besides on the ARK." Shadow stated, watching the bots patrolling past. Amy scoffed. "This is light. I've seen at least double this many before."

Peeking out and looking back and forth, Amy then pulled her head back and said to Shadow. "There's too many now. I'll make a distraction. You head for the city limits to meet up with Sonic and Tails. They should be near Megalo Station."

Shadow shook his head and grabbed Amy's hand. Amy looked surprised. Why was he not letting her go? He closed his eyes and said sadly, "I already lost one girl to those robots. I don't think I can lose another." Amy smiled and covered his hand with her free one. "I understand, but we have no choice. I'll be okay. Go."

Shadow nodded and took off, skating as fast as he could to the train terminal. Amy grinned and walked out into the street in plain view of the bots. "Hey bolts-for-brains!" All the robots turned around to face Amy. One of them scanned her and said, "High priority Resistance member. Apprehend at all costs."

XXX

The trouble that started, was that all the bots in the city suddenly started firing. "What's going on Tails?" Sonic shouted over the noise. Tails peered out the window but shook his head. "I can't see! Too much crossfire!"

The train started to shake from all the commotion on the streets. Sonic immediately kneeled and placed both hands on the floor, activating the magnet mechanisms within his arms and legs. This held the train to the tracks and stopped the shaking. It also held him to the floor.

That was when the window was broken and someone jumped in. The intruder panted a moment before saying, "She said you would be near the train. She never said you would be inside it." Tails smiled. "Shadow! You made it!"

Sonic stood up and shrugged. "Easy transport to Robotropolis. Where's Amy?" Shadow frowned, looking like he didn't want to say. As if he was disapointed with himself. "She said she would be a distraction. I tried to stop her but she told me to go. That she would be fine."

"You mean my sister is still out there?"

"She said she would be okay! I didn't want to leaver her either!"

"Then you shouldn't have! I trusted you with her life! I'm starting to wonder why!"

**CLANG. CLANG.** "Open up! I'm alive! But not for long!"

Sonic heard the voice and quicly forced open the thick metal door, a feat not possible by normal mobians. The source of the voice was none other than Amy. Sonic gave her a huge hug, pulling her inside and forced the door shut again. "Thanks Chaos you're alive. I thought they'd shot you."

She gave a weak smile. "I'm fine. My plan worked. It's Shadow you should thank. If he hadn't left me we would've been spotted and captured. You said to split up. We just had our own version." Sonic scowled at Shadow, but said "Thank you." anyway.

The damage from the stray crossfire had shorted out the train's engine. Tails pulled a panel off the wall and hotwired it. The train sputtered for a moment but it started up. "This is Megalo Station's fastest train." Sonic laughed. "We're gonna make it!"

* * *

**Author's Note:**

There is something special about Sonic's ID code. If you didn't catch what it was, go back and look at it again. See if you can figure it out. ;)

Megalo Station is a place Tails mentioned in Sonic Riders: Zero Gravity. I assumed from the name and the hover technology used in the game that it was a hovertrain terminal of some sort. Since Station Square in Sonic Adventure had an unnamed train station I decided to merge the two.


	8. Wish and Hope

"_Daddy? What's that sound?" A five-year old Sonic the Hedgehog was in the living room playing with a toy car when he asked this. His father, Jules, stepped out of the back room and walked up to the window to find out what his son was asking about._

_A red ship was landing a few blocks away. It looked like a scorpion on wheels after it had landed. "Sonic, go to your room." Jules said quickly. At such a young age Sonic didn't understand what his father meant. Had he done something wrong?_

"_Why Daddy? Am I in trouble?" he asked. Jules shut the curtain and ushered the boy to his bedroom. "No son, you're not in trouble. You just need to hide." Sonic held on to his red and white sports car as he sat down on the bed. "What's going on?" _

_His father sighed. "Someone is coming. A bad person. He used to be a friend of your mother's before he went crazy. Remember the story I told you about the Resistance? How they fight to keep the world safe?"_

_Sonic nodded eagerly. He had always loved that bedtime story. Jules frowned. "Well Sonic, it's real. Your mother was part of the Resistance. The evil man from the stories is Dr. Robotnik. He forced your mother into hiding after he went insane."_

"_That's why Mommy doesn't live with us? She's hiding?" Sonic asked. A weak smile crossed the older hedgehog's face. "Yes, that's why. Right now Robotnik is coming. I joined the Resistance soon after your mother hid away. As a Resistance member it's my job to protect life. Your life first and foremost. Hide. I'll distract him."_

_Sonic did as his father wanted and ducked under the bed, beloved car still in hand. The bedsheets fell over his eyes and blocked his view, but fading footsteps meant his father had left the room. The front door opened and Jules could be heard saying, _

"_Lord Robotnik, what a surprise. I didn't expect a visit from you today your worship." There was a slapping noise and Sonic winced, afraid the evil man had hurt his father. "Spare me the false pleasantries I know he's here."_

"_Who?"Jules asked. Robotnik growled and shouted, "The boy! I want the boy! The mother is out of the way, so sorry for that I'm afraid, but you and your son cannot be allowed to live." The sound of metal footsteps could be heard as Robotnik continued, "Swatbots, search the house. Take anything important. Leave no survivors."_

_Sonic didn't know exactly what was going on, except for the fact that there was clearly a fight going on in the living room. A clang. A crash. A shot. A scream. Silence. Footsteps could then be heard approaching, but they weren't the familiar sound of his father's brown boots._

_Sonic held his car tightly and ran out the backdoor. The silence from the house and the familiar voice that had made the scream confirmed his worst fear. His father was gone. Sonic ran through the streets, dodging the Mobotropolis Police who now seemed to be on every corner. One tried to stop the poor boy, but Sonic simply pushed him away and kept running until he reached the 'City Limits' sign._

_Looking back, he saw his house. It was now on fire. No survivors indeed. Holding the tears back like the strong boy Jules had always said he was, he left the city. Kept running. Running for his life._

That was how his life had been for ten years. An orphan on the streets, trying to stay alive when a mad tyrant in charge of the world is after your life. It had been tough, but Sonic had managed it. He had joined the Resistance mere days before he met Tails. He would've joined earlier, but he felt he wasn't worthy enough to replace his father. At times he still felt that way.

"Sonic?" Sonic opened his eyes at the sound of his name. "You okay?" He nodded, not caring who had asked the question. "You don't look like it." Finally annoyed, he looked up to see who was talking to him since he wasn't paying enough attention to recognize the voice.

Shadow and Amy were talking to eachother at the other side of the traincar, so it must have been Tails who had spoken. "I'm okay Tails. I'm just not sure about where we're going." The kit gave him a confused look. "We're headed to Robotropolis. You know that. Robotnik's main fortress is there."

Sonic shook his head. "Not what I meant. That place holds memories." Before Tails could answer, Sonic closed his eyes again. The light on his chest blinked once and his chest opened by having two metal panels swing outward like doors while the light stayed in place. This revealed a small compartment on one side of his chest where the wires were scarce enough that a small object could be stored in there.

In fact, that was exactly what he used it for. Reaching inside, much to Tails' worry ("You might short out your energy core! That's what's keeping you alive, remember?"), he pulled out a small toy. A red and white sports car. Engraved on the bottom were the words, '_For my favorite boy, happy birthday. ~Love, Daddy._'

"Bad memories." Sonic finished. Tails closed his eyes and looked at the floor. He understood what Sonic meant now. "I don't remember much about my parents, but I do remember my mom's motto. 'Never look back, but never forget.' You should try it now. Don't look at Robotropolis and see the past. Look at it and see the future. New Mobotropolis."

Amy looked over at the boys and said to her brother, "Live up to dad's memory. Make him proud. Don't sulk in the past." Sonic gave his family a weak smile. "Thanks guys." Putting the toy car back in his chest compartment he continued, "Amy, were you evesdropping?"

She shrugged. "Maybe. Besides, I was just telling Shadow the same thing. You might not like him much, but you two have a lot in common. We all have a lot in common. We're broken. All of us. But that doesn't mean we can't continue."

"Exactly." Tails said. The traincar lurched to a stop and the door opened, screeching a bit due to Sonic's prying it open and closed days earlier. "And we're here." Shadow stood up and poked his head out to see what the city looked like.

Every building in site was a dark black metal, the curtains drawn on every window, the streets deserted as far as the eye could see. The tallest building was twice the height of the rest and had a tall dome at the top.

"That's his place." Amy told him after seeing what he was staring at. "Tails, is he in?" she asked, meaning if Robotnik was currently in the fortress. Tails shrugged. "I don't know this time. He's probably finishing his machine though, so I'd guess yes he's in."

Sonic shook his head. "Doesn't matter. Now or never. We go now. We can do this." The team set off for the tower, but it almost seemed too easy. There was litterally nobody around. Not even Robotnik's bots patrolling the city.

"It's most likely a trap." Shadow said. "We're walking right into a trap." Amy quickly covered his mouth. "Shadow, we know that. This is still our only chance though. Now shush or he'll know we're onto him. We have to believe we'll win. " she whispered.

They soon reached the tower. They had discussed on the train ride that they would use music to get everyone to think the same thing, and that they would set up stage outside Robotnik's tower.

Looking up at the sky Sonic muttered, "The echidna's are late." The sound of jets suddenly roared behind him and he spun around, only to see a ship land. A red, scorpion-shaped ship. "No." he said, clutching his chest where the car was located, fear dancing in his eyes. He was frozen in place, repeating this line over and over. "No, no, no, no."

That was the ship. The ship that had landed ten years ago. The ship that Robotnik had exited before killing his father. This was that very ship. Robotnik had plenty of scorpion ships, but this still had the scorch marks from the fire.

"No." Sonic said one last time before collapsing, his world going black.

* * *

**Author's Note:**

The scorpion ship is based off the one Sleet and Dingo drive in the early episodes of Sonic Underground.

We're nearing the end of the fic. I hope you are enjoying it so far. :) Noticed anything about the chapter titles yet?


	9. Give Me the Power

The ship's landing ramp opened and instead of Robotnik, two hedgehogs and a walrus walked down it. The hedgehogs were arguing. The girl was pink and wearing a pink & purple shirt and skirt combo. The boy was green with spiky hair, a vest and fanny pack.

"Your landing skills are horrible Manic." The girl said to the boy. Manic crossed his arms. "Well I don't see you offering to pilot the ship do I?" The walrus walked up to them and stood between them. "Sonia, Manic, calm down." Sonia looked down, a frown on her face. "Sorry Rotor."

Manic looked over at Tails, Shadow and Amy. He then glanced down at Sonic, collapsed on the ground. "Well, we were gonna save you but looks like we don't need to." Amy glared at Manic. She stormed up to him, leaving Tails to check if Sonic was okay.

"We didn't need saving! You scared him so much he passed out! He was no threat!" Amy shouted, right in Manic's face. Sonia shoved her back and said, "Well it didn't look like it. Never trust someone who's been roboticized. He was probably leading you into a trap."

Now it was Shadow's turn to defend his friend. He walked up to Sonia, his expression a glare that said 'Don't touch Amy again'. "Sonic did nothing wrong. It was your fault he fainted. He appears to be deathly afraid of your ship."

Tails tugged on the light in Sonic's chest, which had gone out the moment he collapsed. The tugging caused the chest panels to open. Ignoring the toy car on one side, he examined the energy core in the middle. It hadn't gone out. "He'll be fine, he's just in sleep mode."

Rotor put a hand over his mouth in shock. "Sonic? That's him? We all heard he was killed in the roboticization process." A beeping sound was heard and light on Sonic's chest began to glow red once more. Tails quickly shut the panels he had left open as his older brother sat up groggily.

He took one look at Sonia, Mainc and Rotor's ship and scrambled backwards. He held out his right arm and a few panels on the top of it slid aside, a small blaster raising itself. He pointed it at the ship.

Tails quickly stood in front of him. "Sonic don't! They're friendly! The ship is probably stolen." Recognition flashed in Sonic's eyes at the sound of his little brother's voice. The blaster retracted and his forearm closed.

He stood up and looked at Sonia and Manic. "Why that ship? Why?" he asked forcefully. Rotor stepped in and answered, "It was my idea. Camouflage. Robotnik would never stop one of his own ships."

Sonic didn't appear to like Rotor's response. "Yes, but why **that particular ship?**" When none of them answered he continued, "That ship, out of all the scorpion ships on Mobius, that specific ship, is the one Robotnik flew the day he killed my father. I recognize those scorch marks on the left side. You had to take that one didn't you?"

Manic winced. "Dude… sorry 'bout that." Sonia frowned. "We didn't know that. We're from the Knothole Resistance Group. Rotor is the one who suggested stealing a ship. We just took one. Sorry." Shadow was about to say something when the noise of a car mixed with a ship grew louder.

Turning toward the noise everyone saw a low-flying hovercar approaching. It was an oval with handlebars in the front like a scooter and railings on the sides that lowered as ramps to exit. You had to stand to ride it. Steering it was a cat, Hanging onto the rails were a squirrel and a mongoose. "People approaching." He said to his friends. Sonic looked in that direction and the hovercar arrived and landed.

Out stepped Blaze, followed by Sally and Mina. "We got your message." Mina said with a smile. Sally ran up and hugged Tails. "Did the anklets work? I'm assuming so since you're okay. I'm glad your okay."

Amy smiled. "Aw, you have your own fangirl Tails." Blaze shook the hands of the Knothole team and introduced her friends to them. "We need to get working. Others should be arriving soon." Everyone nodded and proceeded to fashion a stage out of a pile of scrapped robot parts and the floor of a trashed ship.

"The echidna's should've showed up by now." Sonic said. Then, as if on cue, a shadow fell over the area. Everyone looked up to see the Floating Island overhead. Sonic frowned. "I don't know if I can do this."

Blaze grabbed him by the shoulders, spun him around and looked him in the eyes. "Listen Sonic. You are a very capable freedom fighter. What you think are your shortcomings are actually your strengths. I believe in you." Sonic blinked, some form of recognition forming in his eyes. "What did you call me? A freedom fighter?"

Blaze gave a confused look, letting go of him. "Yeah, I guess I did. Why?" He grinned. "That's a better name than Live and Learn. We'll be the Freedom Fighters." Amy laughed. "Okay, we've got a new name. Now let's get the echidnas' attention."

Shadow stepped out of the shadowed area and created a sphere of energy in his hand. He threw it up at the island, signalling the guardians. There was a pause, then a light came from the island and Tikal appeared in front of Shadow. "Knuckles will be down in a moment." She said before heading over to the rest of the group, Shadow in tow.

Tikal bowed to them all and waved her had in front of Robotnik's fortress. The smoke coming from the top where the vents all lead seemed to stop moving. Tikal turned back to the newly-dubbed Freedom Fighters and said, "I have temporarily frozen time for that building. I am here to give you your channels."

Tails raised an eyebrow and cocked his head to the side. "Channels?" he asked. Tikal nodded. "In the olden times only the echidna race could use the power of the Chaos Emeralds. That is why the war against the drakons was fought. The drakons wanted the emeralds' power for themselves but they could not use it. The war caused the echidnas to go extinct. But not before the prophecy was partially fulfilled. 'Two spirit guardians strong in different subjects-one in body, one in mind- shall watch over the eternal power. The time will come when they will aid in the redemption of the land below.' I am here to make that happen."

She held out her hands in a cupped position and a ball of light materialized in them. "Channels allow certain users to access the power of the gems. They also give the user special abilites."

She stepped up to Shadow and the ball of light dimmed and went out, revealing a pendant. It had a black chain, and hanging from it was a strange symbol. It was a flat red spiral with several spikes coming from it, each spike fading to black at the tip.

She hung it on Shadow's neck and he looked down at it, picked it up and shut his eyes to block a few tears. "Maria gave me this necklace for my first birthday. It's the Project Shadow symbol." Tikal nodded, a look of sadness on her face. She knew how he felt. "The necklace gives you the ability to teleport."

She then went to Amy and made another ball of light. It created a belt around her waist. The buckle was shaped like a mallet. She looked at it and said, "The buckle looks like a toy my foster mom gave me when I was little. She wanted me to grow up without Robotnik, but she trained me to fight just in case." Tikal explained, "You can now summon a magical mallet. It's called a Piko Piko Hammer."

Tikal's next target was Tails. For him the light created a charm bracelet. The one charm on it was a red bi-plane. Tails smiled. "I've always wanted to build a bi-plane. The design in my head looks just like this." Tikal then told him the bracelet would give him the ability to create ring bombs.

Next was Sonic. His channel wasn't a form of jewellery or accsessory though. It was clothing. His shoes were replaced with brown boots and he was now wearing a zipped up red vest. "Dad's outfit…" Sonic said. Like Shadow, he had to close his eyes to stop the tears. Tikal gave him a sypathetic smile. "You'll like this power. You should be able to run at your full speed again." Sonic's expression was one of wonder.

Tikal then looked up toward the island. With a flash of light, Knuckles appeared before her, the Chaos Emeralds floating in a circle around his head. He nodded and Tikal waved her hand in front of the fortress.

The smoke started moving again, meaning time had been set back in motion. Knuckles turned to the Freedom Fighters and told them to start. Amy was about to question who they would sing to when she realized they had a large crowd already.

"Mighty, let go!" shouted a yellow flying squirrel in the audience. His light blue jacket was caught on an armadillo's shell. A crocodile stepped up and unhooked him. "Thank you Vector." The said the little squirrel. The croc smiled. "No problem Ray, now be quiet."

Blaze, Sally, Mina, Rotor, Sonia and Manic all went to join the audience. Tikal and Knuckles stepped to either of the stage. Tikal made their instruments appear and Sonic smiled. Then he did something unexpected. He took the microphone off the stand and tossed it to Shadow. "You sing this time."

Shadow gave him a confused look. He had not been expecting this. "Why me?" Sonic smiled. "You're part of the team now. You deserve a spot in the band."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

The hovercraft is based on the one Sleet and Dingo Drive in episode 27 of Sonic Underground. I just added rails.  
Tikal mentions a war between the echidnas and the drakons. I did not make the drakons up. They are from the 'Sonic the Comic' adaption of Sonic Adventure. They're anthropamorphic fish in robotic suits.


	10. Glory of Victory

Shadow smiled weakly but took the microphone. He hadn't planned for any of this to happen. All he wanted was Maria back, and he had ended up getting caught up in a long-standing war and the coming revolt against the planet's dictator.

But they were his friends, and Sonic had given him the honor of being part of their team. "Well, sing!" Sonic shouted, holding up his electric guitar and checking the fortress every few seconds for signs of Robotnik. Shadow frowned. "But what if you don't know the song? How will you know what to play?"

In a very robotic fashion, Sonic quickly rattled off, "Using the Chaos Emeralds as a power source requires a channel of some sort. Once this channel is aquirred all who are using a channel can share thoughts on the same telepathic wavelength when the situation requires it."

Sonic shook his head, looking quite confused. "Where did that come from?" Tails, the team's master of machinery, replied, "Your inner databanks." Sonic still looked confused, but decided not to ask anymore questions.

Making sure Sonic, Tails and Amy were ready on their instruments, Shadow started to sing. As he did, eveyone began to play. Knuckles transferred the emeralds to float over the group's head, Tikal muttering a prayer.

"The servers are the seven chaos. Chaos is power, enriched by the heart. The controllers serve to unify the chaos. The day will come when they shall be found. That day has now arrived. Mystical gems, give them your strength." she said quietly.

Shadow continued to sing and the audience began to cheer. He seemed to have the perfect song for the occasion.

**Do you hear the people sing?  
Singing a song of angry men?  
It is the music of a people,  
who will not be slaves again!  
When the beating of your heart,  
echoes the beating of the drums,  
there is a life about to start  
when tomorrow comes!**

**Will you join in our crusade?  
Who will be strong and stand with me?  
Somwhere beyond the barricade,  
is there a world you long to see?**

**Then join in the fight,  
that will give you the right to be free!**

**Will you give all you can give,  
so that our banner may advance?  
Some will fall and some will live,  
will you stand up and take your chance?  
The blood of the martyrs,  
will water all the land!**

The emeralds began to spin faster and faster overhead until they became a blurred circle of colors. The light from it washed over the band and they began to glow. Sonic's blue fur turned gold and his bottom row of quills turned upward and his eyes became red. The light had no effect on his cybernetics though, but he felt the power surge into him and he lifted a foot into the air.

Tikal and Knuckles joined the group on stage and said to the audience, "If you believe in a new world, a chance to start over without a dictator, then join your friends. Go."

The Freedom Fighters flew off toward the fortress, followed by the entire Resistance. _The revolution begins now._ Sonic thought. "Split into two groups! One group will focus on Robotnik, the other will take down the fortress from the outside! Everybody, go!"

The group that would focus on Robotnik consisted of the Freedom Fighters, the Sandblast City Resistance group, and the Knothole Village Resistance group. They tore into the building and blasted through every door until they reached the dictator's lab, where he was working on his mind-control machine.

The Doctor looked up and dropped the wrench he was holding. Sonic smirked. "Surprised to see me? It's been a few months. Bet you thought I was dead. Well, guess again." Robotnik improvised and climbed into a giant robot in the back of the room. "Guys," Sonic adressed his friends. "All together now. Eggman is going down." This was the first time he had referred to Dr. Robotnik like that, and he liked it. It was fitting.

The building began to shake and tiles fell from the roof. Group Two was doing their job. Amy slammed her Piko Piko Hammer into the Doctor's robot causing the arm to fall off, during which she shouted, "This is for sending my mom into hiding!"

Tails threw a ring bomb at the bot, blasting off the other arm. Robotnik muttered something about needing better adhesive joints when Tails interuppted him with a scream of, "This is what you get for roboticizing my parents!"

Shadow materialized his gun and shot the joint on one of the robot's legs, causing it to fall off. "You stole Maria from me. You will pay for this."

Blaze burned the other leg off the walking machine and it fell to the floor with a clunk. The dome over the seat opened and Robotnik scrambled out. "No matter. My mind-control ray should be charged by now." He said.

Blaze punched him in the gut and said, "Fat chance. You killed Silver. I'm not going to forget that. Sally?" Robotnik turned to face his machine, where Sally ripped out some wires. "My brother died trying to save me from you."

Rotor stabbed the Doctor's wrench into the power supply, while Sonia and Manic signalled Group Two to set the timers on the bombs to destroy the fortress.

The clicking of timers could be heard, and everyone scrambled for the exit but Sonic. Tails flew Sally out, Blaze went with the Knothole group, and Shadow picked up Amy and skated out as fast as he could.

Now it was just Dr. Robotnik and Super Sonic in a crumbling building. "You still haven't won hedgehog." Sonic smirked. "No, I haven't. But you helped me. I'm going to win because of you." Robotnik frowned, so Sonic explained.

"I had the speed, but not the strength. You made me half robot. You gave me the strength, but took my speed. Thanks to the guardians of the Floating Island, I've got my speed back. Now I've got the strength and the speed needed to defeat you."

"But I won't be using either of those." The Doctor ran for the door but Sonic teleported in front of him. He ran for the window, but Sonic still beat him there. "I'll be using something the Resistance gathered together. We call it, 'Super Nova'. I'm upgrading it to 'Super Sonic Nova'. This is for destroying my dad. Notice I'm wearing his outfit. Remember?"

Dr. Robotnik glared at Sonic. "Yes, I noticed. So what?" Sonic frowned. "Famous last words." The timers clicked to zero just as Sonic unleashed a massive chaos blast. The fortress was engulfed in a yellow light as it was blown to kingdom come.

* * *

**Author's Note: **

Only one more chapter to go guys! Like I said before, there will be a sequel. I'm loving my AU so much I can't resist.

The song Shadow sang is not a Sonic song. I spent weeks searching for the perfect song for that bit in the story. If you know the song, congratulations, you have good taste. If not, go figure out what it is and listen to it. I did change the last line though. I had to; France isn't on Mobius.


	11. Calm After the Storm

"What do we do now?" Tails asked his big brother. It had been a week since the grand explosion, the Super Sonic Nova, the defeating of Dr. Robotnik. The Freedom Fighters had spent that week helping the Restistance clean up after the doctor.

They had ridded the cities of all the swatbots they could find, torn down any roboticizers left working, and moved all the debris from the nova to the scrapyards. Because of Mina's suggestion, Robotnik's goggles and a small piece of his red jacket were in the Emerald Hill Museum, labeled as 'pieces of a fallen dictator'.

Since all that though, things had been quiet. "I don't know." Sonic answered, moving closer to the fox in on the hill they were sitting on. Amy pointed at the horizon. "Sunset is coming soon. We should enjoy. Our first real sunset since we got our freedom back."

Shadow closed his eyes and looked away. "Yes, you all can enjoy it. You got what you desired. I did not." Amy gave him a quick kiss on the cheeck and said, "She lives on in you. As Tails told Sonic, 'Don't look at the past. Look ahead and see the future.' All right?"

Shadow blushed. "All right, but only because you're here with me." Sonic looked skeptical. "I don't think this is the end. It just doesn't feel like it." Tails playfully shoved him. "Well it is. How about we enjoy the sunset?"

Sonic agreed and they all watched as the colors of the horizon turned vibrant shades of orange and pink. All of them broken in their own way, yet all repaired somehow too.

One half roboticized, but still with his friends. One lost as a child, but found hope in his new family. One isolated from all that she knew, but found new things instead. One who lost everything a long time ago, but regained it all in different people.

Perhaps, just maybe, happy endings do exist.

XXX

The Resistance had cleared out all of Robotnik's bases, but they had missed the hidden basement beneath one. In there was a lab, full of all sorts of random, non-functioning machines. Sparks of electricity caused by the explosion moved from wire to waire before dissipating.

In the back of the lab was a tube, standing upright and closed. Encased within was a blue robot shaped like a hedgehog. One of those electricity sparks jumped from a nearby wire to a wire atached to the tube.

It traveled down the wire until it reached the robot. Red eyes blinked to life and it spoke a single sentence. "All living things kneel before your master."

* * *

**Author's Note:**

Thank you for reading! I hope you all have enjoyed the journey so far. There will be a sequel, so rest assured the cliffhanger will not remain a cliffhanger for long.


End file.
